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The joy of wild winter swimming

One brave swimmer is taking a dip a day throughout December in the rivers of Surrey and Berkshire, and finding ‘the nip of the water and the zing of a swim is quite addictive’

My toes sink into the mud at the edge of the river Mole at the bottom of Box Hill in Surrey. The water immediately cools my feet beyond feeling. I had hoped for a quirky swim here. Normally there are stepping stones that cross the river at this point, and I pictured myself skipping over them in my swimsuit. But the reality is quite different. After significant rain and snow melt, I should have known the river would be higher than usual. The spot – tranquil in all the photos I had looked at – was now a rushing, fast flowing river. And the colour of chocolate milkshake, rather than the clear water I’d pictured. Oh well, I have swum in worse.